Metro work turns Gandhinagar junction into obstacle course for pedestrians

Footpaths around Gandhinagar junction, where Metro work is taking place, resemble obstacle courses. Pics/Rajendra B Aklekar

The junction is important as two key Metro lines integrate at the point. The 32.32-km Thane-Wadala Green Line 4 intersects the 15.31-km Lokhandwala-Vikhroli Pink Line 6 at this point at Gandhinagar junction, where a station is coming up. The massive scale of work has left the junction with uncontrolled barricades, metal railings, and uneven pedestrian stretches.

Site visit

When mid-day visited the site, we found that the junction had no space for pedestrians, with concrete blocks, iron rods and metal plates lying everywhere. The footpath had been ravaged by Metro workers, with railings falling over.

When pedestrians walk from Kanjurmarg to Powai, many students, parents, and other pedestrians are forced to avoid hurdles. Also, the entire stretch is in complete darkness at night, raising safety issues for everyone. There are key schools like Kendriya Vidyalaya and St Xavier’s High School in the vicinity. A staffer from the Kendriya School said they had filed a complaint with the authorities, but there has been no response.

‘Think about people’

Rohit Saran, a parent of a Std VI student, said, “Every morning, I walk my daughter from Kanjurmarg towards Powai, and it feels like crossing a battlefield. There are iron rods and broken footpaths everywhere. One misstep and a child can get seriously hurt. Development is fine, but why should our children pay the price?”

Shabana Khan, a resident of Surya Nagar, Vikhroli West, said, “After sunset, the entire stretch goes dark. There are no proper lights and no safe walking space. We are forced to walk on the edge of the road alongside speeding traffic. It’s frightening, especially for women and school students.”

Aniket Patil, a college student, said, “Metro pillars are coming up fast, but basic pedestrian access has vanished. There’s no clear pathway, no barricade discipline. It feels like pedestrians are an afterthought in this city.”

Meena Iyer, a senior citizen and Powai resident, said, “I support infrastructure projects, but not at the cost of public safety. The footpaths are broken, railings have fallen, and there is debris everywhere. At least provide a temporary, well-lit walking corridor until the work is complete.”

Farhan Sheikh, an auto driver from Kanjurmarg, said there was zero coordination on the ground. “Traffic is chaotic, and pedestrians are squeezed out. Authorities need to think about people, not just concrete,” he said.

Official Speak

Local supervisors and engineers at the site acknowledged the problem and said that the footpath railings had been damaged due to heavy crane activity at night, and all of them would be fixed once the work is completed. “Two important lines converge here, and the work is being done with meticulous precision. All the available space at the site is required to manoeuvre heavy girders and cranes,” an official said.